1. Haggard Definition: having a gaunt, wasted, or exhausted appearance, as from prolonged suffering, exertion, or anxiety; worn Synonym: fatigued, emaciated, tired Sentence: The soldiers with haggard looks were walking listlessly. Etymology: 1567, "wild, unruly," from M.Fr. haggard, probably from O.Fr. faulcon hagard "wild falcon," Anonym: lively, invigorated Page number: page 2, par.2. He wore a haggard and mournful look except when he was drinking or playing on his flute.

2. Harmattan Definition: warm wind that blows from inland Africa to western coastline from December to February Synonym: wind, gust, monsoon (because it’s also seasonal) Sentence: Harmattan winds come along with dust to the village. Etymology: from the Spanish harmatán, which was the native (Twi) name in western Africa Anonym: Page number: page 2, par.2. …because the cold and dry harmattan wind was blowing down from the north.

3. Egwuwu Definition: Men who disguise themselves as the ancestral spirits of the village and judge disputes among the villages. (definition by Achebe) Synonym: ancestral spirits Sentence: Egwuwu’s were treated with great reverence and fear. Etymology: this started by the sons of the father of the clan long ago. Anonym: real people, villagers Page number: page 2, par.2. …and their dancing egwuwu to come and stay with them and teach them their tunes

4. Loafer Definition: a person who wastes times doing nothing Synonym: an idle person, scamp, failure, bummer Sentence: Loafers went gallivanting around the street. Etymology: a variant of land loper of German Landläufer "vagabond," from Land "land" + Läufer "runner," from laufen "to run" Anonym: gopher, diligent person Page number: page 3, par.1. People laughed at him because he was a loafer, and they swore never to lend him any more money…

5. Alligator Pepper Definition: north African spice that include the seeds and seed pods Synonym: mbongo spice, hepper pepper Sentence: Unlike other spices, alligator peppers are sold with the seeds inside. Etymology: seeds have a papery skin enclosing them and the bumps of the seeds within this skin is reminiscent of an alligator's back Anonym: (other spices) ginger, cinnamon… Page number: page 3, par.2. …a small wooden disc containing a kola nut, some alligator pepper and a lump of white chalk

6. Uncanny Definition: strange and difficult to explain Synonym: weird, peculiar, bizarre Sentence: He had an unusual and uncanny ability to foretell dangers in the future. Etymology: from ‘not canny’ ; canny from Scottish and northern English can in its sense of “know how to”. Anonym: normal, typical, ordinary Page number: page 7, par.2. …Dangerous animals became even more sinister and uncanny in the dark.

7. Hover Definition: to linger, to stay in the air in one place Synonym: float, linger, flit around Sentence: Sparrows hovered over branches feeding their babies and flying about. Etymology: c.1400, hoveren, freq. of hoven "hover, tarry, linger" (c.1250), of unknown origin, chiefly nautical at first, of ships standing off a coast. Anonym: leave, disappear, vanish Page number: page 9, cntd par. ……the anger on his face was gone and in its place a sort of amile hovered, more terrible more sinisteer than the anger.

8. Capricious Definition: strange and difficult to explain Synonym: weird, peculiar, bizarre Sentence: He had an unusual and uncanny ability to foretell dangers in the future. Etymology: from ‘not canny’ ; canny from Scottish and northern English can in its sense of “know how to”. Anonym: normal, typical, ordinary Page number: page 7, par.2. …Dangerous animals became even more sinister and uncanny in the dark.

9. Agbala Definition: 1) woman 2) Man without titles Synonym: woman Sentence: Okonkwo feared being like a woman and the name agbala. Etymology: also the Oracle of the Hills and Caves, meaning ‘woman’. Anonym: macho man Page number: page 11, cntd par. That was how Okonkwo first came to know that agbala was not only another name for a woman, it could also mean a man who had taken no title.

10. Agbala We think it has negative connotation, as Okonkwo’s childhood playmate teased his father, Unoka, as being an agbala. So Young: I find it ironic that this belittling word also refers to the Oracle of the Hills and Caves who holds infinite and religious powers.

11. Chi Definition: A personal god that determines a man's fate and guides his fortune, almost an embodiment of luck. Synonym: a guardian, deity Sentence: Villagers believed that chi decided the individual’s faith. Etymology: African origin. Possibly related to the Chinese chi which also means spiritual being. Anonym: Jesus Christ (because he is referred to as the only existing god in the world by the whites in this novel) Page number: page 3, par.1. At the most one could say that his chi or personal god was good.

12. Chi I found this really interesting because in Mandarin, chi means circulating life energy inherent in all things. This is very similar to the perception of chi to the villagers. 氣 Chinese character chi